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Viareggio, flavours from the sea in Liberty style
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| Viareggio, with its atmosphere of days gone by, is the perfect destination for a calm and relaxing trip, particularly in low season. In February, the city comes to life with the most famous carnival in Italy, and throughout the year it reveals traditional local recipes to visitors, prepared with fish freshly caught along Versilia's coastline. |
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LUXURY IN BELLE EPOQUE STYLE |
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At the turn of the last century, it was the beach resort that excelled at interpreting the desire for fun of the times. Viareggio's glorious past has left a host of splendid Liberty-style buildings, starting from those that line Viale Regina Margherita, the main road that follows the entire coastline. This is where one finds the characteristic chalets, large and elegant boutiques of which only a few interesting examples remain. Chalet Martini is one which still has its original furnishings and a ceiling frescoed by Tuscan decorator Chino Chini (1870-1957).>br>Viareggio's most famous building is without doubt the Gran Caffè Margherita. Built in 1928 and recently restructured, the Oriental style of its architecture makes it immediately recognisable.
Viareggio also boasts a great deal of luxury hotels that bear witness to the boom years of tourism a century ago. Venues of great charm such as the Palace, with its splendid terrace looking out over the coast and the Apuane Alps, but also the Excelsior and the Principe di Piemonte, which compete with the magnificence of the French Riviera's hotels. |
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FRESH FISH DISHES REIGN SUPREME |
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Apart from its architectural delights, Viareggio also offers extraordinary opportunities for those in search of the flavours and dishes that typify the Versilian coast. Here the fish is always extremely fresh and reigns undisputed; strolling amidst the stalls of the three fish markets that bring the city to life each morning provides a real feast for the eyes. The most characteristic is in the very centre in Piazza Cavour, surrounded by Viareggio's legendary fishmongers such as the old Pescheria Volpe, supplier to many restaurants in the area. These raw materials give rise to delicacies such as zuppa alla versiliese, a soup made with different fish in each season, or cacciucco alla viareggina, a local variation on the typical fish soup of Livorno.
Just a few kilometres inland one can discover Versilia's "poor" cuisine. Recipes based on mushrooms and game are accompanied by red Tuscan wines and rich vegetable soups full of local herbs that are drizzled with a little of the excellent local oil. |
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| Along with that of Venice, Viareggio's carnival is the most famous and the oldest in Italy. The idea of celebrating in the streets instead of in the usual theatres or in the halls of the city's palazzos dates back to 1873, when the first procession of carriages decorated with flowers and masks was organised. The idea created such enthusiasm amongst the population that it became a tradition in Versilia. Today, as in the past, the procession of floats takes place each Sunday in February and on Shrove Tuesday on Viareggio's seafront, inside a loop circuit approximately two kilometres long. The nine first-category floats (the most attractive), the four from the second and 12 groups of masqueraders form a continual procession, completing a number of laps of the route. Music bands and groups of street actors perform between one parade and another. |
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 GRAND HOTEL ROYAL
Viale Carducci, 44
55049 Viareggio (LU)
Tel: 0584.45151
Fax: 0584.31438
Built in 1925, this large hotel has preserved all its original furnishings intact. It looks out onto Viale Carducci, the street of all the legendary hotels of Viareggio's seaside resort tradition, and preserves an atmosphere of days gone by in its monumental halls and garden, as well as its 114 rooms.
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